Search form

Peoples-uni works as a result of the efforts of our students and our volunteers. We're keen to introduce our readers to our volunteers and our students and with that in mind, we'll be running occasional interviews. Here's the fourth with Ezra Yarima.Hi, Ezra. Thanks for talking to us. Can you tell us where you work and why you chose to study with Peoples-uni?For more than four years now I have worked for the Institute of Human Virology in Nigeria. It is located within the central business district of Abuja, FCT Nigeria. I enrolled with Peoples-uni in order to achieve my career's dream of obtaining an MPH, even with my limited financial resources. The knowledge, skills and networking opportunities I have gained has been worth far more than the investment I made both in time and resources.How has studying with Peoples-uni been different to courses provided by other organisations?For me, Peoples-uni is different from other organisations because it is not only accessible but affordable - to everyone who truly wants to enrol and is willing to work hard. The application process for a scholarship is very easy and the modules are flexible to suit one's interest.What has been your favourite aspect of studying with us?My favourite aspect of studying with Peoples-uni has been the free online resources or reading materials which are very rich and easy to download. My favourite module is Evidence Based Practice. It has exposed me to decision making based on evidence or data which in my opinion is lacking in my local setting.What challenges did you experience and how did you overcome them?Being the first online course I ever took, I didn’t pay keen attention to studying the free materials given to support discussions and assignments but rather I searched the internet for materials to read. By the time I was enrolled for module three, I realized I would have done better in the previous modules if only I had studied the materials given.How have you benefitted from studying with Peoples-uni?Through the knowledge and skills gained from studying with Peoples-Uni I have been empowered to systematically understand scientific methods to assess disease burden, its cause and methods of prevention. I can now plan public health intervention strategies based on evidence as a result of critical appraisal of information. My research skills have no doubt improved and all of these have led to improved work output at my workplace. Even though promotion is yet to come, my contribution to patient care through improved monitoring and supervision makes it worthwhile.Have you been able to share your learning with colleagues?I have encouraged some of my colleagues to join Peoples-uni and have also contributed to the review of literature undertaken by one of my colleagues. I have become a strong advocate of evidence based practice at my workplace and I hope many others will follow suit.How can we improve Peoples-uni's work and offer?In my opinion, I think Peoples-uni can be improved if it could collaborate with indigenous universities in Africa and Asia where the majority of the students come from. This is specifically in relation to the dissertation which could involve carrying out an actual field research.Finally, what are your hope and aspirations?I hope to combine the knowledge I obtained from the MPH program to improve the health and well-being of my community and enrol for medicine and surgery as an experienced mid-level professional in the nearest future.Thanks, Ezra. Best of luck.